A federal court issued a preliminary injunction today, ruling that more than 700,000 of the poorest Pennsylvanians may be entitled to receive additional food benefits due to the difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, while a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) brought by CLS and law firm Morgan Lewis…
CLS and the entire legal services and public interest law community mourns the passing of a brilliant, energetic, and visionary lawyer, Tom Gilhool, who passed away on August 22, 2020. Although most of his career was spent in over three decades of ground-breaking advocacy at the Public Interest Law Center (PILC), Tom Gilhool first…
URGENT UPDATE: Act Quickly to Get a Stimulus Payment in 2020! New Deadline for Social Security, SSI, and Veterans Benefits Recipients with Children! Starting now, SSI and Social Security recipients who haven’t yet gotten their $500 stimulus payments per dependent child have a new chance to get the payments. They will need to fill out the non-filer…
On Tuesday, August 25, 2020, Community Legal Services, on behalf of our client the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN), filed a formal complaint against PECO Energy Company at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), for failing to abide by the terms of a settlement with TURN that require PECO to lower bills across the board…
The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic and tragic effects on Pennsylvania’s long-term care facility residents and the staff who care for them. More than 4,700 long-term care (LTC) residents have died from COVID-19, accounting for 68% of all deaths in Pennsylvania. Immediate action must be taken to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population and to ensure their rights. It is vital that LTC residents and their advocates have…
On July 16, 2020, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia(“CLS”) and Morgan Lewis filed a class action lawsuit against The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) on behalf of Pennsylvanians denied emergency food assistance during the COVID-19 crisis. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) included a provision providing for emergency additional SNAP (food stamp) benefits so that low income families could have access to food during the pandemic. Nearly 40% of Pennsylvania SNAP households, including many…
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides one-time grants to help families afford their heating costs. Within the past year, LIHEAP has helped more than 310,000 Pennsylvanians pay their heating bills, restore their heating service, or prevent their heating service from being shut off. LIHEAP has helped families with seniors, young children, or people…
On June 24 2020, the General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 637 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin/Perry and Schwank, D-Berks), which reforms occupational licensing by getting rid of outdated criminal record restrictions for the professions and occupations which are regulated by boards and commissions within the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA). Prior state law perpetuated racial…
Reflections from CLS Deputy Director of Operations and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Brenda Marrero on racial injustice.
CLS contributed to a big victory for Pennsylvania families! On June 16, 2020 the PA Supreme Court unanimously held that Children & Youth agencies cannot force a parent to submit a drug screen in the context of a child welfare investigation. This case was brought after a child welfare agency attempted to compel a parent…
